His numbers since his first game as a member of the New York Rangers are not typical of his last few seasons.

However, the 38-year-old has been around long enough to know how to get out of a slump. And, usually, it’s just one shot away.

“The biggest thing is you have to be honest with yourself,” the former Tampa Bay Lightning captain said prior to Friday’s game against the Calgary Flames. “Sometimes, we’re too hard on ourselves. Other times, we’re not hard enough on ourselves. You have to find that fine line — make sure you’re in a good place mentally and make sure you’re taking care of yourself physically.

“But try not to overthink it too much.”

With no goals and only three assists in 12 games (before Friday at Calgary), St. Louis fully admits he has had troubles adjusting to the New York Rangers systems. Part of that has been the adjustment off the ice with his family and the pressures of playing in New York. Part of that is adjusting to a new system after playing the same one with the Lightning since he broke into the league as a full-time player during the 2000-01 season.

“Being in one place for so long and going to a new team, you don’t know what to expect,” St. Louis said. “I knew it was going to be hard. But you’re after team success and that’s what we’re getting right now. If I was producing and we were losing, it wouldn’t be a good place. For me, I’m glad we’ve been able to string some wins together and bide the time to get my feet under me.”

Deemed as the one that got away in these parts (St. Louis spent two seasons in the Flames organization, playing 69 games with Calgary), St. Louis is undersized but has made a career of proving people wrong at this level and has long used his speed and craftiness to compensate.

Having being traded for Ryan Callahan and a pair of draft picks, it was expected he’d be able to contribute immediately and for good reason, considering prior to Friday’s game at Calgary, he had 369 goals and 607 career assists in 1,053 games.

Around the league, St. Louis is still one of the greats left in the game. Flames captain Mark Giordano raved about the five-foot-eight, 180-pounder’s intelligence.

“He reads the play so well,” Giordano said. “When he’s out there, you really have to be aware because he picks off passes and he reads the play so well that he’s always in good position. He’s tough to play against. One of the tougher guys in the league to play against because of his quickness.

“He’s that quick, maybe not from end to end. But those first four steps, he’s real quick. His skill is second to none, really.”

When St. Louis first arrived with the Rangers, he said the opportunities were there. Now? Not so much.

Which, naturally, causes a guy to start doubting.

“Anybody that knows me as a player knows I’m a playmaker first,” said St. Louis who has played on three lines since joining the Rangers. On Friday, he was with Derek Stepan and Rick Nash. “I can score goals in this league but I don’t think anybody sees me as a goal-scorer … I’m trying to be me. And it’s a work in progress.”

What’s helping matters is the Rangers have been winning. They were on a five-game win streak heading into Friday’s game against Calgary and were second in the Metropolitan Division with eight games remaining (41-29-4) before playoffs.

“At the end of the day, that’s what you’re after — team success,” St. Louis said. “Obviously you want to contribute the most you can. But obviously, for some reason, I’ve had a tough time doing that.”

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